Apparatus for cutting and polishing precious stones.



PATENTED NOV. 22, 1904.

IE. R. KNEIP. APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND POLISHING PRECIOUS STONES.

APPLICATION FILED 313.3- 1904.

N0 MODEL:

UNITED STATES Patented November 22, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIC R. KNEIP, OF REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ON E- THIRD, BY MESN E ASSIGNMENTS, TO SAID FREDERIC R. KNEIP, TRUSTEE.

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND POLISHING PRECIOUS STONES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 775,567, dated November 22, 1904.

- Application filed February 3, 1904. Serial No. 191,788. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

. Be it known that I, FREDERIO R. KNEIP, of Revere, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cutting and Polishing Precious Stones, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement on the apparatus set forth and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 698,521, granted to me April 29, 1902, the said apparatus comprising a stick to the outer end of which the stone to be cut is attached by wax,

v the stick-holder, which, as shown in my former patent above mentioned, comprises a body which is supported in such manner that it is movable about both a horizontal and a vertical axis, said body having a socket extending through it and a stick receiving socket-piece fitted to turn in said socket, and thus permit the stick and the stone attached thereto to be adjusted to different positions relatively to the lap by a partial rotation of the socket-piece in the body of the stickholder.

My invention consists, chiefly, in the provision of means for effecting an accurate and, if desired, extremely minute rotative adjustment of the socket-piece, so that the-exercise of a high degree of judgment and skill on the part of the lapidary in rotatively adjusting the socket-piece is not required, the lapidary having only to move or rotate the socket-piece in accordance with a predetermined plan and having always at his disposal accurate means for determining when the socket-piece has 5 been properly adjusted for the formation of a given facet on the stone.

The invention also consists in certain incidental improvements, all of which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a stick-holder embodying my invention and parts of the supporting mechanism for said stick-holder, said mechanism being the same as shown in the abovementioned patent. Fig. 2 represents a top view of the stick-holder. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing the stick in place in the stick-holder-and in its operative relation to the lap. Fig. 4 represents a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a side view of the stick detached from the holder.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, 10 represents the body portion of the stick-holder, the same being preferably substantially disk-shaped or cylindrical. The said body is adapted to turn on a substantially horizontal axis, which is formed by pivots 11 11, inserted in arms 12 12, which are formed on a head-block 13, the latter being mounted to turn on a vertical axis or pivot 14. Said pivot is supported by an arm which overhangs the horizontal lap or grinding tool L. The construction thus far described is practically the same as that set forth in my above-mentioned Letters Patent, the body 10 of the stick-holder being adapted for movement about a horizontal axisviz., the pivots 11 11and a vertical axis viz., the pivotjl I-so that the stone 50, which is attached by the usual wax connection 51 to one end of the stick 52, inserted in the stick-holder, is adapted to assume a variety of angles and operative positions relatively to the lap L, all as fully described in the said patent. The body 10 of the stickholder is provided with a socket 15, Fig. 3, 95 which extends through the stickholder and 'across the horizontal and vertical axis thereof, as shown in my former patent.

16 represents a socket-piece which is fitted to turn in the socket 15 and has a tapering bore formed to receive one end portion of the stick 52, the construction as regards the socket and socket-piece being substantially like that shown in the said patentjin which is set forth the fact that the socket-piece is capable of be- ,ing partially rotated, and thus varying the angular position of the stone relatively to the lap to permit the stone to' be adjusted to a series of positions for obtaining a series of facets. The socket-piece and stick are also provided with means whereby the stick may be engaged with the socket-piece in another series of positions for obtaining another series of facets, the said means comprising a coupling member 17, afl'ixed to the socket-piece 16, and a sleeve or collar 18, secured to the stick 52 and provided with a series of radial notches 19, each of Which is a coupling member adapted to engage the coupling member 17. The stick may therefore be coupled to the socket-piece and positively engaged therewith in either of a predetermined series of positions.

In carrying out my present invention I combine with the said means for coupling the stick to the socket-piece means for rotating the socket-piece in the body 10 and for holding said socket-piece in any adjustment to which it may be rotated, the means for rotating the socket-piece being such that the said piece may be given any desired rotative adjustment, even the most minute, to give the stick any desired intermediate position, or, in other words, any position between the positions provided for by the said coupling members, so that the socket.

piece and the stone-may be adjusted with absolute accuracy Without the exercise of a high degree of skill or the exercise of extreme nicety of judgment on the part of the lapidary.

1n the embodiment of my invention here shown the means for rotatively adjusting the socket-piece and for holding said socket-piece at any desired position to which it may be adjusted comprise a worm-gear 20, affixed to the socket-piece, and a worm 21, journaled in.

bearings in the body 10 and meshing with'the gear 20. It will be seen that the worm prevents the rotation of the socket-piece excepting when the worm is rotated and that absolutely accurate predetermined rotative adjustment of the socket-piece is permitted by the cooperation of the worm and worm-gear. The shaft of the worm 21 is extended outwardly from one side of the bodylO and is provided with a knob or hand-wheel 22, by which it maybe rotated. The body 10 is provided with a segmental graduated scale 23, which cooperates with a finger or pointer 24:, affixed to'the socket-piece 16, in indicating the extent of rotative adjustment imparted to the socket-piece. The said pointer is preferably a part of the arm or coupling member 17, which detachably engages the socket-piece with the sleeve 18 of the stick. The scale 23 is adjustable longitudinally to compensate for variations in the alinement of different lapidary-benches with which the apparatus may be used. The scale 23 is supported by a segmental seat 25, formed on the body 10, and is secured to said seat by a screw 26, passing through a segmental slot 27, formed in a flange afiixed to the scale 23. When the screw is loosened, the scale 23 may be adjusted longitudinally to a limited extent and may then be secured by tightening the screw.

The socket 15 in the body 10 is enlarged at one end to receive the portion of the socketpiece to which the worm-gear 20 is attached. The socket-piece is provided with a shoulder bearing against the inner end of the enlarged portion of the socket, as shown in Fig. 3, said shoulder being preferably one side of the worm-gear 20. The extent to which the socket-piece can enter the body 10 is therefore limited. The socket-piece is removable from the body 10 by an outward endwise move- 'ment. Said movement is prevented, however, by the worm 21 when the latter is in place, the engagement of the Worm with the Wormgear preventing endwise outward movement of the socket-piece, and therefore locking the socket-piece to the body 10. The worm is detachably connected to the body 10, so that 5 it may be removed to permit the removal of the socket-piece. One end of the worm is provided with a reduced journaled portion 27, which is fitted in a bearing 28 at one end of a cavity 29, formed for the reception ofthe Worm 21. The opposite end 30 of said cavity is enlarged and provided with an internal screw-thread, with which is detachably engaged an externally-threaded bearing-piece 81, in which the extension 32 of the wormshaft is journaled. When the bearing-piece .31 is removed, the Worm 21 may be withdrawn from the cavity 29, thus releasing the socket-piece 16 and permitting the latter to be withdrawn from the body 10. The bearing-piece 31 may be provided with orifices arby the said bearing-piece may be rotated to apply it to and remove it from the body 10.

It will be understood that the general operation of the apparatus is the same as described in my above-mentioned Letters Patent, to which reference may be had for a complete description.

I desire to call attention to the fact that the two means for rotatively adjusting the stick viz. the coupling members and the worm-gear and wormenable the stick to be adjusted both quickly and accurately, a quick adjustment being permitted by the coupling members, which are connected and disconnected by endwise movements of the stick, while a minute or micrometric additional adjustment is permitted by the Worm-gear and Worm, the

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last-named adjustment turning the stick to any desired intermediate position and holding it in said position.

While I have herein referred to the gemhol'ding part 52 as a stick, I do not limit myself to a gem-holder made of wood, it being obvious that any other suitable gem-holding device adapted for insertion in the socket 16 may be employed.

I claim 1.' In an apparatus of the character specified, a stick-holder comprising a body movably supported, a socket-piece mounted to turn in said body, a stick movable endwise in the socket-piece, the said stick and socket-piece being provided with means made operative by an endwise movement of the stick for coupling the stick to the socket-piece in either of a predetermined series of positions, and means for rotatively adjusting and retaining the socket-piece to give the stick any inter- I mediate rotative adjustment.

2. In an apparatus of the character specified,'a stick-holder comprising a body movably supported, a socket-piece mounted to turn in said body, a stick movable endwise in the socket-piece, the said socket-piece having a coupling member, while the stick has a sleeve provided with a circular series of complemental coupling members, each of which is adapted by an endwise movementof the stick to engage the coupling member on the socketpiece to hold the stick in either of a predetermined series of positions, and means for rotatively adjusting and retaining the socketpiece to turn the stick to any intermediate position.

3. In an apparatus of the character specified, a stick-holder comprising a body movably supported, a socketpiece mounted to turn in said body, a stick movable endwise in the socket-piece, the said stick and socket-piece being provided with means made operative by an endwise movement of the stick for coupling the stick to the socket-piece in either of a predetermined series of positions, a wormgear affixed to the socket-piece, and a worm journaled in the body and meshing with said gear.

4. In an apparatus of the character stated, a stick-holder comprising a movably-supported body having a socket, a stick-receiving socket-piece fitted to turn in said socket and having a worm-gear, a worm journaled in the body and meshing with the said gear, and means for detachably securing the worm to the body, the socket-piece being removable from its socket when the Worm is removed.

5. In an apparatus of the character stated, a stick-holder comprising a movably-supported body having a socket, and a cavity extending crosswise of said socket and communicating therewith, said cavity having an enlarged, internally-threaded end portion at one end, and a bearing at the opposite end, a stick-receiving socket piece fitted to turn in said socket and provided with a worm-gear, an externallythreaded bearing-piece detachably engaged with the thread of the said cavity, and a worm journaled in said bearing and bearing-piece and held thereby in engagement with the said worm-gear, the worm being removable upon the removal of the said bearingpiece.

6. In an apparatus of the character stated,

' a stick-holder comprising a movably-supported body having a socket, and a segmental seat concentric with the socket, a stick-receiving socket-piece fitted to turn in said socket and provided at one end with an arm projecting from one side of the socket-piece, a graduated segmental scale-piece adjustably mounted on said seat and arranged to cooperate with said arm, and means for securing the scale-piece to the body in any position to which it may be adjusted.

In testimony whereof I have afiiXed my signature in presence of two winessesl F REDERIG R. KNEIP. Witnesses:

C. F. BROWN, E. BATCHELDER. 

